#136. HER SMOKE ROSE UP FOREVER By James Tiptree Jr

Published : 1990
Pages : 508
Overall Mark : 8/10

For a decade Alice Sheldon produced an extraordinary body of work under the pseudonym James Tiptree Jr, until her identity was exposed in 1977. This volume presents the finest of these stories and contains the Nebula Award-winning 'Love Is the Plan, The Plan Is Death'. Hugo Award-winning novella 'The Girl Who Was Plugged In', 'Houston, Houston, Do You Read?' – winner of both the Hugo and Nebula – and, of course, the story for which she is best known: 'The Woman Men Don’t See'.

JAMES TIPTREE JR (1915-1987)
One of science fiction’s most important feminist voices, Alice Sheldon wrote most of her fiction as James Tiptree, Jr – making a point about sexist assumptions and also keeping her US government employers from knowing her business. Most of her books are collections of short stories, of which Her Smoke Rose Up Forever is considered to be her best. She died tragically in 1987.

VERDICT
It's incredibly difficult to judge a short story collection, as some stories will be great and others will be weak. On the whole the bulk of this collection is enjoyable, mainly due to the fact that the standout stories for me, 'A Momentary Taste of Being' and 'Houston, Houston, Do You Read?' are also two of the longest, though the subject matter for many of the stories are incredibly similar, focussing on sexuality more often than not. The stories towards the end of the book are probably the weakest, and it's sad when a collection actually becomes less enjoyable as you progress, but by no means let me put you off reading this thoroughly fascinating collection.

#135. THE GODWHALE By T J Bass

Published : 1973
Pages : 286
Overall Mark : 8/10

Rorqual Maru was a cyborg – part organic whale, part mechanised ship – and part god. A vast plankton harvester, abandoned by mankind when the seas died. So she selected an island for her grave, hoping to keep her carcass visible for salvage. All through the long years, she wanted to server, longing for the sound of a human voice, missing the hearty hails, the seat and the laughter. She needed mankind. But all humans were long gone... or were they?

T.J. BASS (1932-2011)
Thomas Joseph Bassler was an American science fiction writer and doctor, principally known for his ‘Hive’ stories. The first of these, published in Galaxy Science Fiction and If, were combined into the novel Half Past Human, which was nominated for the Nebula Award in 1972. Loose sequel, The Godwhale, was also nominated three years later. His work explored the theme of overpopulation and was notable for its strong command of biological extrapolation. He died in 2011.

VERDICT
This was a vast improvement on Half Past Human, with the characters feeling much more likeable and realistic. The plot might be just as confusing, but at least the subplots are well rounded and feature humour and drama in equal measure.

#134. THE LONG TOMORROW By Leigh Brackett

Published : 1955
Pages : 237
Overall Mark : 8/10

‘No city, no town, no community of more than one thousand people or two hundred buildings to the square mile, shall be built or permitted to exist anywhere in the United States of America.’ – Thirtieth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

Two generations after the nuclear holocaust, rumours persist about a secret desert hideaway where scientists work to understand the forbidden past – even if it means threatening the future...

LEIGH BRACKETT (1915-1978)
Leigh Brackett was an accomplished and prolific writer of fantasy and SF, as well as a Hollywood screen writer. She worked on scripts for films such as The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye and Rio Bravo, and received a posthumous Hugo Award for the script for The Empire Strikes Back.

VERDICT
This book does nothing futuristic in its vision of a future where technology has been left in the past to avoid past mistakes. The characters have troubles outside of the obvious, and their journey to discover a secret town that possesses technology and the hope for a future similar to that left behind manages to be appealing while also acting as a warning to those that might wish to destroy the world around them by misusing their gifts. A solid tale that leaves us with a distinct feeling of ambiguity.

#133. HALF PAST HUMAN By T J Bass

Published : 1971
Pages : 260
Overall Mark : 7/10

Tinker was a good citizen of the Hive – a model worker, But when he was allowed sexual activation he found Mu Ren who, like him, harboured forbidden genes. And so began the cataclysm.

But in a world where half-wild humans are hunted for sport – and food – can anyone overthrow the Hive? Greater by far than its stunted, pink-blooded citizens, the Hive is more than prepared to rise and crush anyone who challenges its supremacy...

T.J. BASS (1932-2011)
Thomas Joseph Bassler was an American science fiction writer and doctor, principally known for his ‘Hive’ stories. The first of these, published in Galaxy Science Fiction and If, were combined into the novel Half Past Human, which was nominated for the Nebula Award in 1972. Loose sequel, The Godwhale, was also nominated three years later. His work explored the theme of overpopulation and was notable for its strong command of biological extrapolation. He died in 2011.

VERDICT
I can see the appeal of this sci-fi novel, describing the conflict between two factions of humanity, but I didn’t really feel connected to the characters involved. The views on women seem a little outdated, but perhaps this is the view of Bass that women would once again become a repressed minority worthy of only breeding and home-making. Reading like a poor man’s Arthur C Clarke, this novel has its merits, but is on the whole a little to wordy to be anything more than interesting.

#132. LIFE, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING By Douglas Adams

Published : 1982
Pages : 174
Overall Mark : 8/10

Only five individuals stand between the killer robots of Krikkit and their goal of the total annihilation of the universe: Arthur Dent, homeless Englishman, currently marooned in the deep past; Ford Prefect, temporarily insane to see if he likes it, also marooned; Slartibartfast, once of Magrathea; Zaphod Beeblebrox, ex-confidence trickster and part-time galactic president; and Trillian, mathematician and astrophysicist, last seen fleeing the Ruler of the Universe. In other words: we’re doomed.

DOUGLAS ADAMS (1952-2001)
Born in Cambridge, Douglas Adams is best known for the BBC Radio series (later novel, TV series and film) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He also developed the game Starship Titanic, wrote the Dirk Gently series of books, and was a script writer on Doctor Who. A committed environmentalist, Adams campaigned actively on behalf of endangered species and – with naturalist Mark Carwardine – produced Last Chance to See, a radio series and book highlighting species on the brink of extinction.

VERDICT
Unlike the previous two books, this instalment of the Hitchhiker's Guide has a standalone plot involving a group of alien robots that want to destroy the universe. This makes it a much tighter story line on the whole, even though it isn't quite as entertaining. The fact that Marvin isn't really in the book that much might be partly responsible, as might the decreased presence of Zaphod, but fans of the series will thoroughly enjoy what should have been the concluding instalment of the trilogy.

#131. THE DOOR INTO SUMMER By Robert A Heinlein

Published : 1957
Pages : 178
Overall Mark : 9/10

For Dan Davis, unlucky in love and betrayed by his business associates, the immediate future looks dark, and the lure of suspended animation becomes irresistible. When Dan wakes thirty years later, the discovery that the robot household appliances he invented have been mass produced is no surprise; but the realization that, far from having been stolen from him, they have been patented in his name, is. There’s only one thing for it. Dan somehow has to travel back in time to investigate...

ROBERT A. HEINLEIN (1907-1988)
Robert A. Heinlein was educated at the University of Missouri and the US Naval Academy, Annapolis. He served as a naval officer for five years but retired in 1934 due to ill health. He then studied physics at UCLA before beginning to publish SF with ‘Lifeline’ for Astounding Science Fiction in 1939. Among his many novels are The Door into Summer, Double Star, Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

VERDICT
This is a fun book, and it’s hard to believe it was written in less than two weeks. There are some obvious inconsistencies in the book, but this doesn’t hinder the storyline in any way. My main problem is the relationship between Dan and Ricky – it’s a little weird and has a slight paedophile undertone, but overall this is a fun romp, filled with noir-like characters, that really delivers on entertainment, even if some of the science is a little slapdash.

#130. THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE By Douglas Adams

Published : 1980
Pages : 192
Overall Mark : 8/10

If your planet has just been destroyed, your best friend turns out to be from a small planet somewhere in the vicinity of Betelgeuse (and not Guildford, as you’d thought), and you find yourself in the company of a two-headed man who also happens to be president of the galaxy, and a beautiful girl you utterly failed to connect with at a party in a city that no longer exists… you probably shouldn’t be surprised to find yourself having breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the end of the Universe…

DOUGLAS ADAMS (1952-2001)
Born in Cambridge, Douglas Adams is best known for the BBC Radio series (later novel, TV series and film) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He also developed the game Starship Titanic, wrote the Dirk Gently series of books, and was a script writer on Doctor Who. A committed environmentalist, Adams campaigned actively on behalf of endangered species and – with naturalist Mark Carwardine – produced Last Chance to See, a radio series and book highlighting species on the brink of extinction.

VERDICT
The first sequel to the incredibly popular The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy kicks off right where the first book ended. The writing is just as witty, the characters are just as silly, and the scenarios are just as over the top and filled with the kind of detail that works best on paper or if you visualise it for yourself – the big screen could never do them justice. Fans of the original will relish in gaining more information about why Zaphod wiped his memory, while Arthur continues his pursuit of the perfect cup of tea.